BotP Close-up 010

Aired in the US, Canada, UK and other English-speaking territories
Post Reply
User avatar
Bobkat
Posts: 193
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:30 pm

BotP Close-up 010

Post: # 255Post Bobkat »

Due to technical difficulties on this end, I missed the Thursday posting. Oops!

Anyway, here we are with the next installment.

The Other Jason's write-up is here: https://www.battleoftheplanets.info/ep10.html

E10: A Swarm of Robot Ants

Act One

7-Zark-7 is on an unending vigil to "safeguard the security of every galaxy in the universe". The long-range probes have picked up "a swarm" of small unidentified flying objects heading for Earth. Zark looks for any of the "usual Spectra identifications" but finds none. Regardless, it appears to be an invasion force of small insects from an alien galaxy and Zark gives the team a Red Alert but the security channel is jammed.

Princess and Keyop are having a fun night out when the power cuts out: and it's citywide! Jason calls in from the street saying they have a crisis on their hands with Mark reporting that it doesn't look any better from the air. Zark directs him to check out the solar fusion plant. However, millions of mechanical ants have broken in to create mayhem and destruction melting wires, collapsing towers and setting off alarms.

The team is able to transmute and rendezvous to investigate the matter. On board the Phoenix, Security Chief Anderson briefs the team they're facing "a very dangerous and mysterious enemy". He goes on to say the city has been evacuated with people in shelters. He tells the team that whatever it is they're facing must be stopped. Meanwhile, the solar fusion plant is in flames as the mechanical ants continue their busy work.

The Phoenix arrives looking down at the chaos with a billion questions: Mark knows their rockets will be useless, Princess asks about the noise and where they came from and Tiny asks where are they going to send them. Jason interrupts them all with his own: "The question is how are we going to send them?" He points out the nearby aqueduct and they'll use water to flood them out. Mark considers it risky but likes the idea, so they "take that chance". One missile is fired into the aqueduct's wall causing a flood into the solar fusion plant.

Later when things are settled down, the team lands to take a closer look. As they're about to spread out, Princess finds one that broken and not moving. They take it back to Center Neptune and Chief Anderson who has analyzed it. It's the product of "an elaborate design" and "highly advanced technology". Micro turbo engines power the ants with metals derived from the planet Tramulus, which means they have a new enemy to worry about. Keyop suggests, "bug spray" with Tiny adding they'll need a big can of it! The solution is for them to make a space shot to Tramulus to prevent any other ants being sent to Earth to rain death and destruction on their cities. Chief Anderson sends them off, wishing them "good luck".

The Phoenix takes off from Center Neptune into space arriving at Tramulus in short order. Mark places the ant on the ground waiting to see what happens. As the team discusses what's next and hoping they don't fall into a trap, the ant activates and begins its walk back to its base. They follow trying not to be seen until they lose it! Tiny follows them in the Phoenix above and behind the other four as they take off running to the ant's last known location. They run to cliff overlooking two giant anthills as Jason reminds Mark they're now at the bridge they need to cross, "You know, the one we're always going to come to later". Keyop suggests knocking them down but that won't stop the ants. Jason wants to blast his way in but Mark decides that would be "counter productive," so they wait them out.

That night, the ants emerge from the bottom of the anthills to go on another raid. The four teammates stay hidden until they can move in. they run to the anthills but as they're about to go in, the ground beneath them opens up in a whirlpool! They fall in sliding down deeper into the ground transmuting into their G-Force uniforms. At the bottom, they land in the base with Keyop the only one not landing on his feet but almost on his head! However, Antoff and his soldiers surround them! He places them into a glass bubble with no way of escape even though Mark and Jason try like crazy. Antoff has struck a bargain with Spectra as they will allow him to rule Earth if he can eliminate G-Force. Mark even tries his sonic boomerang but there's no escape. Keyop comes up with an idea to load hi bolos with explosives as Princess warns him not to overload them. He sets the timer and tells them to take cover and the four hide under their wings. Once the explosion happens, they're able to escape through the gaping hole.

Act Two

Zark paces Center Neptune as Tiny has reported back: the other team members disappeared into a quicksand pit near the anthills. Zark flies to his monitor to try to contact G-Force but no luck.

Inside the base, Mark, Jason, Princess and Keyop sneak around finding a giant cocoon. Tiny hovers around outside the base as the cocoon tunnels its way to the surface. The giant ant emerges spitting something at the Phoenix as Tiny flies her out of danger. Tiny radios that the giant ant is taking off with Mark reading him loud and clear. He orders a pick up and the sonar sensors turned on so they don't lose the giant ant. He tells the others to button up the base and be ready to move out on the Phoenix.

After the pick up, Chief Anderson briefs the team that Zark has identified Antoff as a space pirate from Galaxy DQ3. This is Antoff's first attempt at conquering Earth with Spectra's cooperation. Chief Anderson goes on to say the giant ant has landed on Earth and is making its way underground. They expect it to attack the city at any time. The team heads back to Earth with Chief Anderson saying they'll keep them appraised along the way.

Back on Earth, the giant ant surfaces demolishing everything in sight. Fighters shoot at it forcing it back underground. Chief Anderson notifies the team that fighters have forced it into the Breslin Tunnel where it can't dig out because it would flood the tunnel. It's essentially trapped. Mark orders turbo thrusters engaged to go to the tunnel. Tiny hovers the Phoenix over one end to wait out the ant. Mark wants to hit it with an "electron blast" as Tiny puts the blasters in standby. However, they need sunlight to work. The skies are partly cloudy with the sun working on coming through. Mark orders placement of the "solar refractor screen," which is deployed in place of Jason's car in the nose. It appears as a large satellite dish, taking in and amplifying the sun's ray to strike at the ant as it walks out of the tunnel.

The ant fully emerges from the tunnel just as the sky clears. The Phoenix is able to hit the ant full force with its latest weapon. The clouds move in again giving the ant a break! Antoff tells his crew it's time to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" so he must know something of Earth's history because he just quoted Muhammad Ali! The ant deploys its wings and goes airborne making a beeline for the Phoenix! Tiny maneuvers her but it's not aerodynamically sound with a big dish deployed out the nose. Tiny is also fighting the ailerons as they have lost "orbital electrons". The fighters show up giving extra support firing on the ant so it'll back off of the Phoenix. Mark knows they have to get above the cloud cover for the weapon to work. He tells the team to "standby with the reaction mass reserve". Keyop reports they're at a place with the sun so they begin directing their weapon back onto the ant! Only this time, the ant is airborne and there is not other way to go but down.

The ant goes down but Antoff and his men go to the "aerial life raft" rocketing away from the destruction. The fighters take off as the Phoenix folds up her dish. Chief Anderson thanks the team for a job well done with Princess pointing out they couldn't have done with their friend the Sun.

As Zark takes the turbo lift to his Ready Room; he says the alliance between Antoff and Spectra has been broken. On top of that, Antoff has been taken to prison with his crew as the life raft was picked up somewhere. The ants had more advanced circuitry than Zark! Susan calls thinking Zark buzzed her but he didn't. She does report the team is in their Ready Room disco dancing and asking Zark if he wants to at some point in the future. He's game: they could do the "funky FOSDIC".


This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2020. No reproduction of any kind without permission.
Post Reply